'He wanted to be there for every [cat] that still needed him': 57-year-old Japanese businessman abandons everything to care for homeless cats in an uninhabitable nuclear zone for more than 10 years

When others left, Sakae Kato stayed. After the Fukushima prefecture in Japan became uninhabitable due to radiation clouds leaking from the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant, 160,000 people abandoned their homes and their pets. For more than 10 years, he rescued forgotten animals who had been left behind. At one point, Kato was caring for up to 40 cats inside his home. He said his life's mission was to take care of every last one, because if he didn't, who would?

Not all heroes wear capes, and not all angels have wings.

Sakae Kato pawsitively sacrificed everything, including his own health, after everyone else moved on. Over 160,000 people abandoned their lives in Fukushima after the surrounding area became uninhabitable due to the nuclear power plant nearby, but many were left behind. All of them had four legs, and none of them understood why they suddenly found themselves all alone. Kato couldn't handle the fact that so many beloved creatures were suddenly left alone, so he stayed behind to rescue and care for them.

Just to make you understand the intensity of this decision, a purrfectly crucial fact is that Kato lives with no running water. He travels to a mountain spring to collect what he needs, not just for himself, but for the more than 40 cats he cares for, as well as the other animals he's collected along the way. For 10 years, he's cared for these left-behind pets, all alone. This is the true meaning of sacrifice.

This is a man who is willing to put the needs of others before himself, and not just when it's convenient for him. He changed the course of his life to protect others who can't protect themselves, and here at I Can Has Cheezburger, we will always consider him a hero.

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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato walks past black bags containing contaminated soil from the fallout of the Fukushima nuclear plant, in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 21, 2021"
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via iheartcatscom
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato holds a flash light in his mouth as he climbs up a ladder onto the second floor of an abandoned house that Kato converted into a cat shelter, on his property in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan on February 20, 2021."
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via iheartcatscom
Caring for 40 cats is not cheap. That's a lot of cat food, not to mention any necessary medicine they might need. But who needs money when you have the unlimited love of the cats you've saved? That's enough comfort for him, apparently.
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato eats instant noodles for dinner at his home in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 20, 2021."
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via iheartcatscom
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato cleans cat cages at his home, in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 20, 2021"
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via iheartcatscom
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato holds Mokkun, a rescued cat, while an animal rescue activist applies an ointment onto its mouth at Kato's home, in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 21, 2021"
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via iheartcatscom
Kato is truly one in a billion. Would you stay behind, give up your life, your worldly pawssessions, your business, and your family to stay behind and care for those cats? That's a huge sacrifice, and we're glad there's still someone on this Earth who would do it.
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato prepares to feed wild boars in front of his home, in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 20, 2021"
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via d.yana49
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via bladekiartist
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via s_grecs_mrs.1111
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"Sakae Kato lies in bed next to Charm, a cat who he rescued five years ago who is infected with feline leukemia virus, at his home in a restricted zone in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 20, 2021"
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via never.be.silent
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via chynniescakery
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via ghoshani
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via Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters

"An aerial view shows Sakae Kato walking Pochi, his dog that he rescued four years ago, on an empty road between restricted zones in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, February 20, 2021"
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via iantenbears
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via nurulowne.812